First-year Rockbank coach Gavin Sporle has covered all his bases through the pre-season.
The Rams have added strength to their forward line, midfield and defence as they look to match their finals showing from last season in the Riddell District Football League.
Among the club’s new faces are key forward Rodney Rich, midfielders Dean Van Heemst and Jack Sims, and defender Robert Johnson.
Sporle is hoping to add a few more to the squad in coming weeks.
“We’re really happy with the guys who have come into the club,” he said.
“We’ve targeted areas we thought were lacking last year.
“We’re still talking to four other guys who have shown real interest in coming on board and that would give us a couple more key defenders and a ruckman.”
Among the players not returning to Rockbank are Jordan Baumgartner, Jamie Zerafa and Bryce Hall, who all played in the Rams’ 2014 finals loss to Riddell, when Zerafa was named the Rams’ best on ground.
To help cover the losses, Sporle wants his players to spread the workload.
“They’re all very good footballers and are always going to be hard to replace,” he said.
“We’re comfortable the guys who have come in will fill the roles we need them to fill.
“One thing I want to do is remove the reliance on individuals. I want everyone playing a role.
“That’s what we have really focused on over the pre-season and the players have embraced that.”
There will also be a new look to the leaders at Rockbank this season, with the club announcing co-captains.
Last year’s captain Thomas Mainey will continue and be joined by Jake Armistead, who played 17 matches for the Rams last season and was named among the club’s best players on 14 occasions.
Sporle believes the pair will form the perfect leadership team.
“I’ve been at the club for three years now as well as being around the league for a long time, and I’ve always rated Jake highly,” he said.
“He has fantastic leadership qualities.
“The opportunity to have Tom continue in the role and effectively guide Jake into it is a really great advantage for us as a football club.”
Rockbank will take on Western Region Football League club Yarraville-Seddon in its first practice match on March 21.
The Rams will play Melton Centrals in round one of the RDFL season.
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